Doggone Ugly Creek

by Cheryel Hutton

  “She’s in the house.” Terri stuck out her lower lip. “She just wanted to play with Hugh.”

  “Maybe we can set up play dates,” I said.

  “Where they’ll be supervised.” Ace glared at Terri.

  “Of course,” I said. “Terri, why don’t you go let Trixie out so Ace and Hugh can see she’s all right?”

  Terri stomped off toward the house, and a little of the anxiety tearing at me went away.

  Ace let out a long, harsh breath. “That woman is exasperating.”

  I agreed.

  He looked at me, a sheepish expression on his face. “I forgot she’s your cousin.”

  “Which doesn’t change the fact that she’s exasperating as hell.”

  He grinned, and my heart rate shot up. What was it about this man that had me so confused? I wasn’t sure I even liked him. He was handsome, but not in a Chris Hemsworth sort of way. More like the boy next door. Which, come to think of it, was pretty much what he was.

  Trixie ran around the corner of the house and dashed right to Hugh. With what sounded like a groan of defeat, Ace unhooked the leash from Hugh’s collar. The two dogs loped off around the yard together. “Okay, she’s fine, but you can’t blame me for worrying.”

  “Would you like some iced tea? We could sit on the porch where we can watch the dogs.”

  “You wouldn’t have any of those wonderful cookies, would you?”

  He looked so cute I had to smile. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  We walked up the front steps, and I left him setting in one of the porch chairs while I went in to get snacks.

  In the kitchen I discovered Terri’s huge appetite had taken out almost half the cookies. There were enough for Ace and me, though, so I carried the drinks and plate of cookies out, backing through the storm door. Ace met me there, taking the drinks from me and placing them on the table on the porch.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  He gave me a big smile.

  We sat. Even though I was aware of Miz Carlisle watching, it still felt comfortable, and somehow right, sitting here with Ace. Until he broke the spell.

  “Is Terri coming back out?”

  “No, she’s in her room, probably sulking.”

  He grimaced, and I realized why he’d asked.

  I touched his hand. “Don’t feel guilty about telling her something she should know. She needs to take more responsibility, and not just for her dog.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you then, and you can warn her.”

  “About what?”

  “Mr. Collins’s German shepherd disappeared yesterday, and the Martins’s Dalmatian vanished a couple of days ago.”

  “You think somebody took them, don’t you?”

  “There is no indication they ran away. The families have checked with both local veterinarians, and then they called vets farther away, plus shelters all around the area. I helped them go door to door. No sign of either dog.”

  “Dognapper?” The word seemed almost cartoonish, except this was serious.

  “Yeah, and they should have to watch little Sebastian Martin crying because his dog is gone.”

  My stomach dropped to my legs, while my heart rose into my throat. “That’s horrible.”

  “It really is. That guy better hope I’m not the one who catches him.”

  Ace’s mouth tightened, and I saw anger in his eyes like I hadn’t thought him capable of. All I could think of was that if the dognapper caught Trixie, he’d get the surprise of his life.

  “Are you smiling?”

  Ack! Busted. “I was just thinking what if the guy got the wrong dog and it took his arm off or something.”

  “I like that picture, but the likelihood is that he drugs the dogs, probably with a piece of laced meat.”

  Which Trixie would never eat. Thank God. “Why in the world would anybody want to steal a dog anyway? Aren’t shelters full of animals?”

  “You have to pay at a shelter, and show I.D.”

  I didn’t want to, but I had to know. “Why would they want the dogs in the first place?”

  “Most common reason is research or breeding. That might be why they took a Dalmatian and a German Shepherd. Thing is, I happen to know they were both neutered.”

  “Damn, this is Ugly Creek. Things like this aren’t supposed to happen here.”

  He touched his fingers to my cheek.

  “I hate to tell you this, babe, but bad things happen everywhere. Even Ugly Creek.”

  His gaze held mine, and I stopped breathing. The touch of his fingers against my skin felt warm and tingly. He stood so he could put one hand on each of the armrests of my chair, and leaned in. I moved toward him, drawn like a moth toward a wool sweater. Our lips touched and warmth moved through me. This man was more, much more, than I had ever imagined.

  Movement to the side caught my peripheral vision. My neighbor was still kneeling in her flowerbed, though she’d stopped even pretending to pull weeds. “Miz Carlisle is watching us,” I whispered against his lips.

  “Then let’s give her something to watch,” he whispered back.

  His lips captured mine again, claiming me in some primal way. The world around us vanished, and all I felt, touched, or sensed was the connection between me and this amazing man. I slid my arms around his neck, and he pulled me to my feet. Heat blew through me and I tightened my arms in order to get closer to him. His hand slid to my waist and he held me against his hard body. We were on the verge of giving Miz Carlisle the show of her life, when a cat screech and a duo of barking pulled us out of our daze.

  He moved slightly faster than I did, but I was right behind him as he raced around the house to where the dogs stood on my side of the fence and Miz Carlisle held Bumpkins on the other. She was making soothing noises to the cat.

  Hugh whimpered and pawed at his nose. Trixie alternated between growling toward the other side of the fence and licking Hugh’s face. Ace sat on his heels beside Hugh and carefully checked him. From where I stood I could see a long scratch down his snout.

  Ace glared toward my neighbor and her feline problem child.

  “Your cat hurt my dog.”

  “If he did, it was because those mean dogs were harassing my sweet kitty. They won’t leave him alone. Will they, Bumpkins?” She kissed the cat’s head.

  “Both dogs are on this side of the fence.”

  “Bumpkins is on my side.”

  She glared my way.

  “And your furry menace jumps over my fence all the time.”

  “That’s not true,” I told her, giving her glare right back. I was aware of Trixie heading toward the house, but ignored that to hold Miz Carlisle’s gaze.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Like you’d know.”

  “Excuse me.”

  “You’ve had your mind on other things.”

  She moved the narrow-eyed-glare to Ace, then back to me.

  “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Who I spend time with is none of your business.” I hoped my expression conveyed just how insulted I was.

  She sniffed. “I told you, I’m a friend of your aunt. I feel I should look out for you.”

  “Ruth likes me,” Ace said, his expression implying that might not be true of Miz Carlisle.

  The sound of someone running toward us caught my attention. I looked over my shoulder to see Terri coming up beside Hugh.

  She dropped to her heels and stroked his head. Then she stood and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Miz Carlisle. “Your cat hurt Hugh.”

  “As I was telling your cousin, Bumpkins is on my side of the fence. That dog must have jumped over.”

  “You’re lying.” Terri’s voice was soft, but there was an edge to it.

  Miz Carlisle stepped back. “How dare you!”

  “I was in the kitchen. I saw your cat come through the fence and attack Hugh.”

  “I don’t believe you.” If glares could shoot fire, Terri would be
well-done.

  “You can believe it or not, but it’s the truth.” Her face pulled into a knot, the woman took the cat and stomped off toward her house.

  “Oh boy.” I sighed. “Aunt Ruth won’t be happy that we’ve made an enemy of her next-door neighbor.”

  “Maybe I should have just stayed away from you.” Sadness pulled at Ace’s face.

  I put a hand on his arm. “What are you talking about?”

  “Miz Carlisle hates me because I rescue dogs. She calls the sheriff on a regular basis to complain she hears them bark at night.”

  “I’ve never heard your dogs. Ever.”

  “Me either,” Terri said. “She’s just an old bitch who hates dogs on general principle. She’s always being hateful to Trixie. And that cat is Satan’s head demon.”

  I tried not to, but I laughed a little anyway. “How about we go in the house, where it’s more private?”

  “I should get Hugh home so I can take care of that wound. Cat scratches can be bad.”

  “I have first aid stuff.”

  He smiled. “I’d better go and check on all the dogs.”

  “I’ll see you, Ace,” Terri waved and headed toward the house.

  He took my hands, and his gaze locked on mine. “Would you join me for dinner tomorrow night?”

  Little tingles spread through me. “I’d like that.”

  “There’s not a lot of choice around here, but there’s a new place on the far side of town.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “See you then.”

  He kissed me gently.

  I watched as he clipped Hugh’s leash on him, then headed down the road. How could I have been so wrong about a man?

  As I turned, I saw Miz Carlisle peeking around the curtains on her front window. Just for fun I smiled and waved, then headed toward the house.

  Chapter 10

  I was working on my manuscript—the contracted one—and it was actually going well for once when barking shoved me right out of my fictional world. It would be a major understatement to say I was not amused. A glance at my watch told me it was after midnight, which did nothing to lighten my anger. I was so going to kill somebody.

  Terri joined me as we headed toward the front door.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “No clue, but I intend to find out.”

  Outside, Miz Carlisle stood on her side of the fence, arms crossed. I could see the scowl from our porch.

  “This is what I was talking about. He’s probably got those mangy mutts all stirred up to keep good, decent folks from sleeping.”

  “So you think it’s Ace?” As if I didn’t know.

  “Of course it’s that Ellison kid.” She let out a loud huff. “Never liked him. There’s something wrong with somebody that has that many animals. Up to no good, I’d say.”

  “Distract her,” I whispered.

  Terri went down the steps toward our neighbor. I grabbed my cell phone and came back out on the porch.

  “Yeah?” Ace’s groggy voice said.

  “Are your dogs barking?”

  “What?”

  “Just go open your back door for me, please.”

  “Sure.”

  I heard footsteps, then a door opening. There were a couple of quick barks, then silence.

  “Okay, now what?”

  “Do you hear the barking?” I held out the phone so he could hear better.

  “What the hell is going on over there?”

  “A frame-up, I’d say.”

  “What are you…oh hell.”

  “Yep. Miz Carlisle says that’s your dogs.”

  “Well, you can hear it isn’t.”

  “I didn’t think it was, but another witness wouldn’t hurt.” I walked toward the fence. “Terri, your critique partner wants to talk to you.”

  She gave me a confused look, then understood. “Hello, Alexandra,” she said into the phone. Then turned away.

  “The police will be here soon.” Miz Carlisle raised her nose in the air and headed toward her house.

  Terri handed me back the phone.

  “Brilliant,” she whispered.

  “Still there?”

  “Yes, and thank you.”

  “Just helping out a friend,” I said into the phone as I walked back toward the porch. I sat on the step. “She’s being vindictive.”

  “Maybe so, but it’s not the first time she’s called the cops on me. She did call the cops, right?”

  “Yep.” I sighed.

  “It’s a loop,” Terri said.

  I looked toward where she stood near the steps. “What’s a what?”

  “The barking is a recording playing in a loop. The same sounds keep repeating.” She grinned. “It’s like the dogs are saying the same thing over and over.”

  “She’s right,” Ace said. “Hear that sharp bark? It’ll repeat in a few minutes.”

  I listened, but before I could sort the sounds out, the barking abruptly stopped. “Interesting.”

  “Listen closely,” Ace said, then I heard him yell, “Squirrel.”

  Several dogs started barking. I pulled the phone back from my ear, and heard nothing.

  “Well,” Ace asked. The dogs were already calming down.

  “I couldn’t hear them. Did you just hear dogs barking, Terri?”

  She said, “No,” but she nodded slightly and her lips pulled into a smug smile.

  So you had to be canine to hear the barking. Maybe Miz Carlisle was a dog. I forced back the laugh. “You’re cleared,” I told Ace.

  “She won’t listen, but maybe the cops will.” He didn’t sound optimistic.

  “They’re heeeerrrrre,” Terri sang.

  “Speaking of cops…”

  “Call me back when they leave,” Ace said, and hung up.

  One of the guys from the cat hoarding fiasco got out of the patrol car he’d parked in front of Miz C’s house. Terri and I sauntered over to the fence.

  “Those damn dogs of Ellison’s were barking their fool heads off,” she was saying.

  “There was barking,” I said, “but it wasn’t Ace’s dogs.”

  Miz C gave me the evil eye.

  “She had her tongue down his throat earlier. Of course she wouldn’t believe it was his mutts. It was a bunch of mangy dogs; it had to be him.”

  “No. It wasn’t.” I looked at the cop. “I was on the phone with him at the time. His dogs were quiet.”

  “Like I said, they were making out like teenagers right out in the open in front of God and everybody.

  “I talked to him too,” Terri said. “His dogs weren’t barking.”

  I could see Miz C’s face darken even in the dim light from the moon and the lamp in her window. “They’re cousins. They’d lie for each other.”

  Terri rolled her eyes. “How ridiculous.”

  “I don’t think it’s ridiculous,” Miz C said.

  “Besides,” Terri continued undaunted, “the barking was a recording.”

  “That’s crazy!” I wondered if the woman realized she was overreacting, and what that implied.

  “It’s true.” Terri looked at the cop. “It was on a loop, the same sounds repeated over and over.”

  Miz C. snorted. “Barking is barking. I’ve never heard any difference.”

  “Are you sure?” the cop asked.

  Terri nodded. “I’m into music, especially classic rock and roll. There are the same types of hills and valleys in music and barking.”

  “She’s crazy.” The older woman was red-faced and shaking. I was worried about her.

  The cop must have been too. “Calm down, Miz Carlisle. I’ll talk to Mr. Ellison.”

  “Tonight? I have to sleep.”

  “I have some things to do tonight, I’ll talk to him first thing tomorrow.”

  “If it starts again, I’m calling you.”

  “Yes, ma’am, you do that.”

  She turned and marched toward her house.

  The cop handed me a c
ard. “If it starts again, give me a call. My cell number is on there.”

  I nodded, and Terri followed me into the house. “I’m too wired to sleep.” I told her. “I guess I’ll write some more.”

  “I might as well start writing now,” Terri said. “No use sleeping for an hour or two, then getting up.”

  “Provided there are no more stunts.”

  Terri groaned. “That old woman is just plain mean.”

  I had to agree.

  There were no more interruptions, but I never got back into the flow of my story. I went to bed, only to have a hard time going to sleep.

  When I finally did manage to drift off, the beautiful erotic dreams I had made it all worthwhile.

  ****

  I woke with serious anticipation of my date with the object of my nighttime adventures. What was with me? Was I even sure I liked this odd guy who could get old women riled up from a mile away? I laughed at the picture that thought provoked, and I gave up the inner debate. Like him or not, he had my body interested in a way I couldn’t ignore. Grinning, I headed to the kitchen to make coffee.

  I barely got the water in the coffeemaker when a familiar bark had me flying out the backdoor. Trixie growled at a cat’s black tail as it disappeared between the boards of the fence and into its own yard.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Trixie looked up and shook her head from one side to the other.

  I rubbed the soft fur between her ears and looked toward where Devil Bumpkins stood on his front porch meowing piteously. Great. “Let’s go inside before—”

  “What did that mangy monster do to my baby?”

  Miz C trucked over faster than I thought the old biddy could move. She scooped up the little monster.

  Too late. “Crap.”

  Trixie looked at me with an expression of agreement.

  I turned to face the accuser. “Trixie didn’t do anything.”

  “It must have done something, because Bumpkins is all upset.” She made kissy noises at the cat. “Aren’t you, sweetie?”

  “I saw your cat go through the fence back into your yard.”

  “I don’t believe you. My little Bumpkins would never go into a yard with a dog in it.” She looked into the cat’s eyes. “Would you, baby?”

  The cat looked up at his owner and meowed softly.

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Trixie. Let’s go in the house.”